Manila- The Philippines quarantined two Filipinos and three foreigners after they arrived in the country with swine-flu symptoms, the Health Department said Wednesday.

The two Filipinos arrived from Ireland and the United States, which have confirmed cases of the H1N1 strain of the flu virus, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said.

The three foreigners were a 26-year-old woman from Britain, a man from South Korea and a 9-year-old South Korean boy.

Duque said the Korean patients were quarantined at the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine in Manila while the British woman and the Filipinos were at a hospital in the central city of Cebu.

"They are now being tested, and within 24 to 48 hours, we will get the results," he said.

Duque stressed that despite the quarantines, there was still no confirmed case of swine flu in the Philippines.

"There is no reason to panic," he said. "We don't have a case yet."

As part of efforts to keep the Philippines H1N1-free, Duque urged Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and his team to postpone their return home from the United States, which, along with Mexico, is the only country to report deaths from the virus.

Pacquiao was in the US for his fight Saturday with Britain's Ricky Hatton. He knocked out Hatton in the second round in a victory that made him the first Asian boxer to hold titles in six different weight divisions.

He was scheduled to return to Manila from Los Angeles on Friday when a parade was expected to take place.

But Duque said the World Health Organization (WHO) has advised against Pacquiao's return and the holding of a parade.

"Their strong recommendation is for Pacquiao and his entourage to postpone their arrival from Friday to next Tuesday because in LA, they have already received reports of third-generation human-to-human transmission," Duque said.

"Since Pacquiao and company are staying in LA after the fight, it is better to be conservative," he added.

Duque also urged Pacquiao and his companions to go into self-quarantine, saying, "Part of our message to them is that they should not be going around anymore."

According to the WHO, 21 countries have reported 1,490 H1N1 cases. Mexico has 822 cases, including 29 deaths, while the US has 403 cases and two deaths.(dpa)